Mid and Base Layers

BlackYak Mishima Hoody | Review

A specced-out climber’s softshell that will also serve any hillwalkers that are after a decent midlayer

Why We Chose The BlackYak Mishima Hoody: Great breathability, useful features, quality build

BlackYak, in case you’re not familiar with them, are like the South Korean version of Arc’teryx. Their kit is all made for climbing and mountaineering, catering for anything from crag climbing to 8000m ascents, and it’s all got a real premium look and feel to it.

This particular item in their women’s collection is one of those softshell jackets that will be able to serve a range of purposes, like most good softshell jackets should.

Who Is The BlackYak Mishima For?

There are a lot of things about the Mishima that climbers will like, the articulation, durable weave and breathability for instance, but it’s also one of those items that ticks all the right boxes for hiking, scrambling and even cold weather trail running.

On milder days, it’s that layer that you can chuck on over a t-shirt and go all day in. On cold and wet days it’s that bit of insulation you need underneath your rain jacket. Then in extremely cold conditions you can wear it under a down jacket and/or shell as part of a layering system.

Materials

The Mishima is made from two types of Cordura: a Cordura 4-Way Stretch on the outside and then a Cordura Heavyweight Fleece on the inside. If you’re familiar with those thick, heavy-duty coats that are made out of Cordura, these versions of the fabric are nothing like that. Instead, they’re both soft to the touch – kind of like a cross between standard fleece and standard softshell. The tight, dense nylon weave of the outer fabric offers a good level of durability, enough to easily withstand a sharp rock face, but it also has a nice bit of stretch to it so it won’t hinder your movement. There’s also some weather resistance – certainly enough to keep the wind off you and to withstand some light rainfall.

The tight, dense nylon weave of the outer fabric offers a good level of durability. Photo: Mike Brindley

The Mishima comes with zipped hand warmer pockets. Photo: Mike Brindley

Another two zipped chest pockets will easily accommodate a mobile phone. Photo: Mike Brindley

The inner Cordura is a brushed nylon fleece that’s soft and comfortable against the skin and offers a light level of insulation. The wicking qualities, we found, were good as well.

If you’re looking for something with a bit more insulation, take a look at BlackYak’s Calvana Hoody which, like this item, also made it into our Outdoor 100 product guide.

Stretch cuffs increase the comfort levels of the Mishima. Photo: Mike Brindley

Features

The Mishima features an elasticated hood that fits and holds closely and that can sit under a helmet comfortably. The cuffs (which are very comfortable) are elasticated as well and so is the hem, the latter of which also has a rubbery lining to prevent it from riding up and underneath your harness. That’s a nice touch which does make a difference.

Speaking of harnesses, you can just about access the zipped hand warmer pockets when wearing one but you’ve also got the two useful zipped ones on the chest as well. None of the pockets are big enough for, say, an OS map but they’ll easily accommodate a mobile phone or something of that size,

As for the fit, the women’s size M sample we tested had a fairly athletic trim but without being too close or tight and it fitted comfortably underneath all of the rain jackets we tried it with.

We’ve seen that in some retailers you’ll be able to pick this up for just over £100 which is a pretty decent price considering the level of quality here.

Tester’s Verdict

Holly Burns, Outdoors Magic gear tester

“My initial thoughts upon wearing the Mishima Hoody were that of comfort. The hoody is fleece lined, making it a great fleece for those winter days when it is cold and dry, I’m thinking early alpine starts in autumn, Scottish winters and evenings in your tent.

“One of the features I really like on this midlayer is that it has a tight-fitting hood which I prefer, as it allows you to be hands free when the wind picks up. There’s nothing worse than when you are up on a Scottish plateau and it’s ‘proper blowing a hoolie’ and all you want to do is hunker down and get to your destination without clinging onto your hood with a freezing cold hand! It is something that seems like a simple design but if you are a woman with a lot of hair like me it keeps everything tucked away and is a total game changer!

Testing the BlackYak Mishima. Credit: Jordan Tiernan

“The Cordura four way stretch fabric on this fleece means that it moves and stretches with your body, meaning you do not feel restricted. Elasticated, stretchy fabric around the hem and cuffs keep the fleece from riding up and exposing you to the elements on a climb. The insulation on this fleece provides a high level of comfort and cushioning and from the fabric used on this fleece you can tell it will last and be very hardwearing when rubbing up against rocks or rucksack straps.

“One thing that I wasn’t so much of a fan of was the large imprint of ‘BlackYak’ written down the back of this jacket but that’s just a very small aesthetic detail.

“Overall, I was impressed. Having never heard of this brand before testing I would be very interested to see what else comes out of their women’s range!”